mise, that the flattering hopes which we entertained for his recovery were not disappointed; in a few days after the dispatch of my former narrative, we had the satisfaction to see him restored to our prayers in perfect health. The news of a national victory would scarcely have diffused more joy in the little circle of his friends and admirers. When Theophilus succeeded to the estate which he now enjoys, he found a living attached to it, in the possession of a cler-when, on the sabbath following gyman who was beloved by his parishioners, and generally esteemed for his piety and benevolence. The opinion entertained of him did not exceed his merits, and Theophilus was delighted to discover in him, a man of polished manners and elegant conversation, learned, judicious, and intelligent, and he courted an acquaintance with him, which was soon improvedemn, and impressive: one pasinto an intimacy.

taken possession of his estate, gave a new and profitable turn to his thoughts and views.

The wife of the rector, and mother of four children, died, after an illness of only a few days: Theophilus had too much feeling and humanity not to be deeply affected at this event, and he only waited, according to the established etiquette, until the funeral had taken place, to offer his personal condolence to his friend. Judge of his surprise,

the death of the lady, and the day after her interment, he saw the rector enter the church, with a depressed but composed countenance, and with a firm but submissive voice heard him perform his ministerial functions. The discourse which he addressed to his congregation, naturally had a reference to his own situation; it was pathetic, sol

sage in it, which was committed to writing at the time, with tolerable accuracy, by a sensible parishioner, has been communicated to me, and was nearly in the following terms.

At this period, the religious attainments of Theophilus were of a standard little superior to what mine were when I lately entered his house. In the course of his education at school and "You see me, my brethren, the university, he had gone thro' with the characters of grief upthe usual routine of religious in- on my countenance; they are struction, but the seed was sown deeply engraven in my heart. To among thorns, and the pleasures lose a wife, an amiable beloved of this world, "the deceitful-wife, the tender mother and kind ness of riches, and the lusts of protector of four dear children, is other things entering in, had no trivial sorrow; but I should choked the word, and it had be- be ashamed to appear before you, come unfruitful." He attended, if, upon this trying affliction, I indeed, the service of the church were to belie the doctrines which with considerable regularity, but I have taught. I sorrow, but rather for the sake of shewing not as one without hope; I know an example of decent conform- in whom I trust, and I feel his ity than from conviction, or an divine support on the present anxiety to improve. An affect- occasion; it is that alone which ing occurrence which happened enables me thus to address you. about six months after he had Had I sought for consolation in

gave, the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord." As for myself, why should I grieve? because the dear ob

5 that worldly wisdom, which men | guage of inspiration-The Lord call philosophy, I should not have found it; I should have sunk under the calamity which has befallen me; but the gospel teaches me that the afflic-ject of my earthly affection has tions which Christians suffer entered into the joy of the Lord? here, while they are the deserv- for such is the blessed confied punishment of their sins, are dence with which her faith in also intended to purify their him has inspired me. No, my faith, and to prepare them for dear friends, though I am dethe enjoyment of that eternal prived of a companion in whose happiness which Christ has pur-society I enjoyed all the happichased for them by his death.ness which this world can afIn all the dispensations of the ford, though my children have Almighty, justice and mercy, lost a most affectionate endearwhere there is room for mercy, ing parent, yet my sorrow is are ever united; nor are any of well nigh absorbed in the the afflictions to which a be- thought of the happiness which Never in Christ is exposed, with- she now enjoys. I derive supout abundant sources of consola-port and consolation from the tion. Such an one knows that confidence I feel, that the Lord, whom God loveth he chasten-in whom she trusted, has taken eth; and while, therefore, he her to himself, and from the considers his sufferings as the hope that through faith in him I effect of his sinfulness, and hum-shall again see her a purified bles himself under them; he saint, in the company of my evregards them also as proofs of er blessed Redeemer." the love of his Creator, who is thus weaning him from earthly attachments. Feeling that trib-witnessed a parallel, and for alation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope," he says in his heart, it is good for me to be afflicted, and he resigns himself to the disposal of his heavenly father, in the hope of eternal life thro' Christ, a hope which elevates him beyond the limits of the world and time.'

When the Christian also calls to mind the sorrows and agonies of his dying Redeemer, and whilst he contemplates, with unatterable gratitude, the stupendous display of divine love, in the atoning sacrifice of the Son of God, then is his burthen lightened, and his tongue instinctively exclaims in the lan

This was a scene to which few persons present had ever

which Theophilus was wholly unprepared; his admiration was equal to his surprise; he knew the rector to possess more than a common share of sensibility, and that the warmest affection had ever subsisted between him and his wife. The style of the discourse, the tone and manner in which it was delivered, and the unimpeached integrity of the preacher, did not suffer him to entertain a doubt respecting the sincerity of his resignation, and he felt all the force of the example, although he then was by no means qualified to appreciate the value of the principles which had inspired it.

Theophilus was too much af

fected by what he had seen and supreme being and the nature heard, to accost the rector after of man, and adapted to all peothe services of the church were ple of every country and condifinished, but he visited him on tion, it was long before he rightthe next day, and then, as wellly understood, and cordially and as in all his subsequent inter- practically embraced the furviews, found his conversation damental and peculiar truths of and deportment in exact corres-Christianity; the ruin of the pondence with the doctrines world by sin, its redemption by which he publicly taught. The the atonement of a crucified Saweight of such an example was viour, and the sanctifying influ hardly to be resisted by any mind ence of the Holy Spirit. The susceptible of piety or sensibili- truth was, as he now acknowlty; and Theophilus was led by edges, that he depended too it into a train of reflection, upon much upon himself, and had the power of that religion which overlooked the necessity of praycould support human nature un- er for the divine assistance to der the deepest calamity; and enlighten his understanding and he justly concluded, that if it purify his heart; hence it was were founded on substantial ev-that he perused the scriptures idence, the consolation which it inspired was no less rational than solid. He saw clearly that the topics of condolence and resignation, suggested by philosophy, were neither sound in principle nor efficient in practice, and that the frame of mind which they were calculated to produce was a sullen rather than a rational acquiescence: whilst Christianity, on the contrary, in-itual improvement, and to trust culcated submission without extinguishing feeling, and, by the views and hopes which it inspired, satisfied the reason whilst it alleviated the distress of the afflicted. He determined, therefore, to peruse the scriptures with patient unprejudiced at

tention.

rather as a code of ethics than a revelation, which taught him the alienation of man from God, and the means of his reconciliation with his offended Maker and Judge.

But the pious rector, with whom he now constantly associ ated, pointed out his errors, and taught him to renounce all dependance upon himself for spir

in him alone who is the author of every good and perfect gift, soliciting his aid by fervent and frequent prayer. Theophilus most readily submitted to his instruction, and being by the divine grace gradually enabled to perceive the grand display of heavenly mercy in the redempTheophilus, with whom I have tion of man, embraced with arfrequently conversed on the in-dor the gracious invitation of teresting subject of the progress an Almighty Saviour. of his religious convictions, has confessed to nie, that although he immediately discovered in the code of revelation, a system of morality, equally pure, rational, and sublime, founded on the justest conceptions of the

This worthy clergyman is now no more; he died about ten years ago, and Theophilus, who, can scarcely mention his name without a tear, has since his death liberally maintained his children. They are placed un

in another county; and Theophilus, who has undertaken to provide for their temporal welfare, has made a particular bequest in his will for this purpose, lest he should not himself survive to fulfil his engage

der the care of a pious relation | ject which has been so amply detailed in my former narrative, and which describes Theophilus as he now is; but I have learned one anecdote of his conduct, which so strongly marks his principles and good sense, that I cannot deny myself the pleasure of relating it. There never was a period in which it was more necessary to enforce the example which it inculcates.

ment.

A short time before the death of his pious instructor, a recruiting party took up its quarters in a small town at no great distance from the residence of Theophilus. The commanding officer, a young man of family and fash

ducing the daughter of a farmer, a tenant of Theophilus, who was apprised of the scheme just in time to prevent the ruin of the girl. On this occasion he wrote a letter of expostulation to the officer, which the other resented as an insult, and brutally challenged him. Theophilus declined the defiance without hesitation, and addressed a second letter of remonstrance and admonition to the officer, which produced an insulting and abusive reply. The report of this transaction was circulated much to the prejudice of my friend, and, as usually happens in such cases, with many circumstances which were whol

Theophilus having deliberately adopted the religion of Jesus, determined, in humble dependance on divine support, to act up both to the letter and spirit of it. His first endeavor was to correct himself, and to bring his mind under subjection to the gospel; and as he was sensible of the natural impetuosity of his temper, as well as of other irreli-ion, had contrived a plan for segious propensities, he labored incessantly to subdue them.The instruction of his family became an object of his early and serious attention; he was aware both of the obligation of performing this duty, and of the inhumanity of neglecting it. By degrees he extended his care to his dependants and neighbors, and his liberality, which was now under the direction of his piety, aided the influence of his exertions. His progress was opposed by many obstacles, but he was not deterred by them from perseverance. The obnoxious epithet of Methodist was applied to him, and his gay friends amused themselves with impotently unfounded, and which remainand profane jokes upon his conversion. He had ignorance perpetually, and malice and ingratitude frequently, to contend with; but these impediments, instead of inducing him to relax his efforts, stimulated him to redouble them, and he had the happiness, in many instances to find them crowned with success. I shall not enlarge upon a subVOL. VI. No. 4.

ed for a time uncontradicted: for Theophilus, satisfied with having performed his duty, was silent on what had passed, from a principle of Christian forbearance to the officer who had insulted him, although he was, at the same time, fully aware of the consequences that might attend his refusal of a challenge.

About a fortnight after this oc

U

currence, Theophilus was pre-shalt do no murder,'--and that it

sent at a numerous meeting of the gentlemen of the county, a few of whom had adopted strong prejudices against him on no other grounds than because the invariable rectitude of his conduct, furnished a perpetual contrast to their irregularities. He remarked, what he had been prepared to expect, a cold formality and reserve in their reception of him, little short of incivility. After a moment's deliberation, he requested their attention, ex-fessing to fear him who can deplained all the circumstances of stroy both body and soul for ever, the transaction which had led to I dare not offend him by the dea correspondence with the offi- liberate commission of a crime ger, and addressed them in terms which may send me or a fellow to the following purport : creature uncalled into his pre

is opposed not only by the letter but by the whole spirit of our holy religion, the essence of which is love to God and man. These are the principles upon which I have acted, and to which, by God's assistance, I am determined ever to adhere, through honor and dishonor, through evil report and good report. Eternity is of too serious importance to be staked against the opinion of the world; and pro

This address, of which I am enabled only to give you an imperfect sketch, was heard with great surprise, but with an effect much to the credit of those towhom it was offered. It was well known, that at no very distant period, Theophilus would not have declined a challenge, and those who were disposed to attribute his new principles to a methodistical bias, could not refuse their applause to his manly avowal of them, whilst all con

"I have been given to under-sence, with the dreadful constand, what it would pain mesciousness of wilful sin, which much to believe, that my refusal cannot be repented of.” of a challenge has depreciated my character in the estimation of some to whom I have the honor to speak. I know that, even by the laws of honor, I was not bound to meet my challenger; but I dare not take refuge from reproach in such a plea. No, gentlemen, I am called upon publicly to avow, that in declining the challenge sent to me I acted from a superior motive, from obedience to the law of God, which admits of no compromise with the rules of honor.curred in approving that conduct The master whom I profess to which had exposed him to the serve, not only requires my obe-insult of an unprincipled liberdience, but the avowal of my al- tine. Some of the company did legiance, and disclaims the hypo- not hesitate to express an uncritical service of a disciple, who qualified approbation of his beis ashamed of the name of his havior, and an old and respectLord. I shall not expatiate onable divine spoke with enthusithe absurdity, barbarity, and ille- asm in favor of it, as affording an gality of duelling to a believer example which, under similar in the doctrines of Christianity, circumstances, all were bound to it is sufficient that the practice is imitate, at the hazard of their condemned by the positive com- immortal souls. mand of the Almighty Thou

I now revert to myself. The